Netanyahu Urges Trump to Block Turkey's F-35 Bid as NATO Summit Nears in Ankara

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 6

Netanyahu said Monday that Turkey should not receive F-35 jets or fighter engines, arguing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government poses an unacceptable security risk and could upset the Middle East power balance.
Erdoğan's hostility toward Israel, Turkey's support for Hamas and threats against fellow NATO member Greece were central to Netanyahu's case that Ankara cannot be trusted with advanced U.S. military technology.
Trump has signaled he may revisit Turkey's role in the F-35 program, from which Ankara was removed after buying Russia's S-400 missile defense system.
Ahead of this week's NATO summit in Ankara, Netanyahu tied the issue to Israel's need to preserve air superiority and to Washington's broader regional posture against Iran and its missile and nuclear ambitions.